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.bzh: general opening on December 4th 2014

Home > Observatory and resources > News > .bzh: general opening on December 4th 2014
12/04/2014

Logo du .bzhLogo de la Région BretagneLogo de l'Afnic

Since last September 4th 2014, priority registration phases were reserved for businesses, local authorities and associations.                


On Thursday December 4th 2014, .bzh, the first French regional Internet domain, is becoming available to individuals. After the activation of the first addresses including those of the www.bzh association (
www.pik.bzh), of the Brittany Region (www.region.bzh and www.rannvro.bzh and soon www.bretagne.bzh and www.breizh.bzh) and of larges companies established in the territory such as Produit en Bretagne, Crédit Agricole, Inter Pôle or Armor Lux, it is now possible for everyone to spread the colours of Brittany across the web.

Over a thousand reservations

During both priority phases, over one thousand businesses, local authorities and associations reserved .bzh domain names. This figure places the .bzh as one of the most popular new Internet top level domains and reinforces the idea of the expected success.

Brittany’s Internet Top Level Domain

The .bzh Breton Internet domain is intended for all Breton-born individuals and Brittany enthusiasts. From now on, it is possible to use the .bzh for one’s professional website, one’s private blog or simply to create a customized e-mail address (name@surname.bzh). The Top Level Domain is indeed just as much intended for professionals and associations as it is for individuals. Just days away from Christmas, keep it in mind as it would make a great gift…

A new tool intended for regional stakeholders

The .bzh enables regional stakeholders to be more easily identified on the Internet. By using the geographical domain, .bzh websites will increase their visibility and will come up with priority in search engine results related to Brittany. Finally, the .bzh is an indicator for Internet users regarding the establishment of companies and the possibility, for consumers, to favour them to contribute to the Region’s economic and cultural development.

Spreading the image of an innovative Brittany open to the world

Providing visibility to economic, social and cultural activities related to Brittany, the .bzh enables to highlight the fact that they are part of an innovative and open region, which is creating for itself a place on global Internet by having its own Top Level Domain along with 65 other territories throughout the world (Paris, London, New-York, Bavaria, Ruhr, Tokyo, Quebec…).

Purchase your own .bzh now!

To reserve your domain name, you need to get in touch with an accredited registrar (list available on www.pik.bzh/achetervotrebzh). As the www.bzh association cannot market directly .bzh domain names, you need to go through one of these ICANN-accredited registrars to obtain your .bzh name.

As for the www.bzh association, it is in charge of selling each domain name to the registrars for €35 excl. VAT for a one year term to which must be added the chosen registrar’s margin, which varies depending on the additional services offered (hosting, messaging service…).

Comments

Pierrick Massiot, President of the Regional Council of Brittany:  
“After businesses and associations, I am delighted that citizens will be able to reserve their .bzh domain name by the end of the year. I am convinced that both Breton men and women will follow this trend, thus asserting, via this “digital Gwen ha du[1]”, their attachment to their region. Digital Brittany now has its own name, .bzh!

I am also happy to see that this collective project, supported by the Region since 2006, has succeeded, thanks to much hard work and dedication. Thanks to such mobilisation, to this day Brittany is the first French region bestowed with an Internet Top Level Domain and, by definition, open to the world. It is now up to us to make it live and thrive”.

David Lesvenan, President of www.bzh association:

“.bzh is now a reality, ten years after the launching of the project. From now on begins the fascinating construction of a new digital territory open to all. Brittany is our point of mutual interest: just like stickers on the back of cars, let’s now post on the Internet this shared identity!”

Mathieu Weill, Afnic CEO:

“On December 4th, Brittany is expanding! It is indeed a new digital territory which is now open to all Brittany enthusiasts as a result of the hard and exciting work carried out by both our associations, the www.bzh association and the Afnic. All our teams are very proud to have participated in the construction of this Brittany whose opening and welcoming tradition now also exist on the Internet.”

About us

The www.bzh association is the registry of the .bzh Breton Internet domain. In this capacity, acting under powers delegated by the ICANN, the global body in charge of regulating the Internet, it manages this digital territory dedicated to Brittany.

Supported primarily by the Brittany Region, .bzh relies on the know-how of its technical partner, Afnic, manager of .fr, to provide a quality service to the registrars which market .bzh and to the businesses, local authorities, associations and individuals who register their name under .bzh.

The non-profit association’s aim is to ensure its economic equilibrium and to eventually be able to reinvest its profits in the development of the Breton digital community, while remaining attentive to maintaining attractive prices for as many people as possible.

www.pik.bzh

 

The Brittany Region has actively and voluntarily supported the .bzh Internet domain project since its unanimous resolution adopted in 2006: feasibility study and invitation to the Breizh Touch event in Paris, in 2007, support of the organisation of stakeholders as associations in 2008, financing of the application submitted to the ICANN in 2012, repayable advance of €250,000 paid in April 2014…

www.region.bzh

 

Afnic has been in charge, since 1998, of the management of French Internet country-code Top Level Domains (.fr, .re, .yt, .wf, .tf and .pm), with over 2.8 million domain names.

The .bzh domain relies on its know-how to provide a quality service. In the scope of the new gTLDs programme, 17 customers, among which the French geographical Top Level Domains, have chosen to trust Afnic to accompany them in their project with the ICANN.

In its capacity as technical operator of the .bzh registry, Afnic handles, among other things, the management of the technical platform, in connection with the registrars at the global level, and the implementation and management of the technical infrastructure, in accordance with the standards set up by ICANN.

www.afnic.fr

Press officers:  

 


[1] The flag of Brittany is called the Gwenn-ha-du [ɡwɛnaˈdy�?] in Breton.

About Afnic

Afnic is the acronym for Association Française pour le Nommage Internet en Coopération, the French Network Information Centre. The registry has been appointed by the French government to manage domain names under the .fr Top Level Domain. Afnic also manages the .re (Reunion Island), .pm (Saint-Pierre and Miquelon), .tf (French Southern and Antarctic Territories), .wf (Wallis and Futuna) and .yt (Mayotte) French Overseas TLDs.

In addition to managing French TLDs, Afnic’s role is part of a wider public interest mission, which is to contribute on a daily basis, thanks to the efforts of its teams and its members, to a secure and stable internet, open to innovation and in which the French internet community plays a leading role. As part of that mission, Afnic, a non-profit organization, has committed to devoting 11% of its Revenues from managing .fr Top Level Domain to actions of general interest, in particular by transferring €1.3 million each year to the Afnic Foundation for Digital Solidarity.
Afnic is also the back-end registry for the companies as well as local and regional authorities that have chosen to have their own TLD, such as .paris, .bzh, .alsace, .corsica, .mma, .ovh, .leclerc and .sncf.

Established in 1997 and based in Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, Afnic currently has nearly 90 employees.